Human Factors Engineering in NAME

High Speed Craft HFE Design Guide Pt.1

Generic HF Design and HSC Specification and
Integrated Design Process
New Spring L. 15

Professor T. G. Dobie, MD, PhD, DSc, FRAeS, MIAASM,

Director and Human Engineering Head,
National Biodynamics Laboratory,
College of Engineering,
University of New Orleans.
(With all due acknowledgements to those who contributed to the publication of the High Speed Craft Human
Factors Design Guide for the benefit of the academic Naval Architecture and Design Community.)111

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THE GENERIC HUMAN

FACTORS DESIGN PROCESS
This HF Design Process is based upon the design stages outlined by the (International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) HumanCentred Design Process Standard (ISO 13407).

SUPPORT TO HSC SPECIFICATION PRODUCTION

(i.e. prior to NA Design Process)
PREPARATION FOR HSC DESIGN
a. Plan end-user participation in design:
i. End-users are assigned to assist the HSC design team;
ii. Undertake visits to end-user premises to canvass wider
review comments;

SUPPORT TO HSC SPECIFICATION

PRODUCTION
iii Visit to view end-users operating with existing HSC;
iv. Ensure the availability of a range of end-users to
demonstrate HSC mock-ups and prototype as part of the Test
& Evaluation process.
b. Identify where HF contributes to program deliverables (e.g.
document deliverables as part of milestone payment/project
decision points; demonstrating acceptance of HSC prototype).

SUPPORT TO HSC SPECIFICATION

PRODUCTION (Contd.)
UNDERSTAND AND SPECIFY THE CONTEXT OF USE
OF THE HSC:
a. Identify lessons learnt from previous HSC designs (e.g. talk
to current HSC users, review causes of incidents and accidents
involving HSC, consult people involved in previous HSC
design);
b. Identify any existing performance data available from
previous and existing HSC (e.g. operational history including
reliability, test data collected during previous evaluation of
HSC performance);
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SUPPORT TO HSC SPECIFICATION

PRODUCTION (Contd.)
c. Arrange to collect any missing performance data necessary
to guide the design and/or to evaluate HSC prototype, e.g. to
provide a baseline from existing HSC;
d. Produce a description of the end-users (e.g. record details of
crew compliment, roles, duties, skills, knowledge, training,
physical strength, body dimensions and sizes, personal
protective clothing and equipment);
e. Undertake, and document, a Task Analysis for the operators
during the proposed missions.

SUPPORT TO HSC SPECIFICATION

PRODUCTION (Contd.)
This should include:
i. Produce a description of the typical usage of the HSC, i.e.
describe the typical mission(s), e.g. transportation, range and
speed, payload, missions, landing/launching sites;
ii. Produce a description of the operating environment of the
HSC, e.g. ambient temperatures, sea states, night conditions.
iii. Produce a description and prioritization of the crew and
passenger activities and the specific functions allocated to
them (e.g. the functions of the Coxswain, the navigator, and
the maintainer, the loading/unloading payload, and
embarking/disembarking; refer to Slides 9-12);
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SUPPORT TO HSC SPECIFICATION

PRODUCTION (Contd.)
This prioritization will include the importance (especially
when related to safety) and frequency of tasks, and the time
required to complete them;
Subsequent prioritization will include the interface layout
(refer to Man-Machine Interface) and the interactions between
crew-members (i.e., a manual task that requires two people
will require greater space allocation);

SUPPORT TO HSC SPECIFICATION

PRODUCTION (Contd.)
At this phase decisions can be made regarding whether a task
should be performed manually or if it should be automated
(i.e. an automatic fire suppression system vs. a hand-held fire
extinguisher);
These kinds of design decisions require that tradeoffs be made
between crew workload, safety and cost.
When automating tasks the Designer should also consider the
associated logistics and personnel requirements;
Reduced manning on the HSC may significantly increase the
manning required to maintain the HSC systems in port.
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Coxswain Functions
Use meteorological instruments and weather forecasts.
Maneuver and handle HSC including:
Berthing.
Maneuvering in shallow water.
Manage and handle HSC in heavy weather.
Recovering persons and other floating objects.
Transferring personnel between vessels.
Launching from and recovery onto beach.
Preserve safe trim and stability.
Conduct fire prevention and fire-fighting.
Conduct emergency procedures.
Administer first aid.
Use communication equipment.
Seamanship:
Use and stow rope and wire.
Plan anchorage, safely deploy and recover anchor.
Make craft safe for towing.
9

Navigator Functions
Conduct passage planning and navigation under all conditions.
Determine position (including use of electronic navigation systems).
Conduct work with charts:
Read charts.
Measure distances and bearings.
Plot position (e.g. dead reckoning, estimated position).
Calculate course.
Read navigational publications (e.g. tides and currents).
Calculate time and height of high and low water; rate and direction
of tidal streams.
Perform navigational watch duties (i.e. watch keeping).
Operate and use radar (includes - interpret and analyze information).
Use communication equipment.

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Mechanic Functions
Perform periodic maintenance (including conduct
system checks).
Conduct fault diagnosis.
Conduct emergency operations (i.e. following
breakdown of partial systems).
Conduct emergency repairs.
Use operation and maintenance manuals.
Perform checks after unusual events
(e.g. grounding, collision, fire, etc.)

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Crew Functions
Use lifejackets and personal protective clothing.
Conduct fire prevention and fire-fighting.
Conduct emergency procedures.
Administer elementary first aid.
Use communication equipment.

Note: Tasks may be redistributed between crewmembers to optimize craft performance.

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SUPPORT TO HSC SPECIFICATION

PRODUCTION (Contd.)
SPECIFY THE END-USER REQUIREMENTS:
a. Identify HF goals that contribute to achievement of HSC
requirements; e.g.:
i. Crew and/or passenger requirement (e.g. training) from the
design specification or System Requirement Document;
ii. Legal requirement (e.g. maximum vibration exposure limit,
noise level, risk assessment).
b. Outline how the achievement of HF goals can be
demonstrated (e.g. method of assessment).

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SUPPORT TO HSC SPECIFICATION

PRODUCTION (Contd.)
SUPPORT TO THE HSC DESIGN PROCESS: PRODUCE
HSC DESIGN SOLUTION:
Consult and follow HF guidance within this Guide associated
with specific steps in the integrated design process (refer to
An Integrated Design Process, later).

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SUPPORT TO HSC SPECIFICATION

PRODUCTION (Contd.)
SUPPORT TO THE TEST AND EVALUATION PROCESS:
EVALUATE HSC DESIGN AGAINST REQUIREMENTS
Evaluate whether human factor goals have been achieved (e.g.
conduct crew workstation fitting trials, measure crew and
passenger exposure to vibration and noise, perform usability
assessment).
If HF goals have not been achieved, review the following
stages for any incomplete information before conducting
further design activities.
a. Understand and Specify the Context of Use (Slides 9-12).
b. Specify the End-User Requirements (Slide 13).
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HSC Specification Process

The input of HF information during the specification phase
has the greatest opportunity of enhancing the performance and
safety of the HSC.

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HSC Specification Process (Contd.)

Prior to starting the design process, the specification of the
craft has to be defined through a step-wise process to ensure
that the requirements are defined in such a format that the
Designer can use these as effective inputs to the design
process.
The four stages of the Specification Process are as follows:

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HSC Specification Process (Contd.)

Capability Requirement (CR):
At this point in the process, HF needs to be accepted as an
integral part of the process (i.e. Human Factors Integration
[HFI] is undertaken refer to Background Section earlier),
and that objective HF goals must be set for the Test &
Evaluation of the prototype HSC.
The Capability Managers (e.g. Ministry of Defence) must also
ensure that the appropriate end-users and SMEs (Subject
Matter Experts) are assigned to the design project and that this
allocation is continued through to the conclusion of the
project.
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HSC Specification Process (Contd.)

User Requirement Document (URD):
It is essential to involve the end-users with the specification of
the new craft.
Without this it is highly unlikely that the HSC will be an
optimum solution to the CR (Capability Requirement).
The end-users can provide invaluable information on lessons
learnt with current and previous designs (e.g. in the form of an
HF issues log, recording positive and negative user
experience).

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HSC Specification Process

This includes HSC motion and control characteristics,
common failures and ad hoc design solutions to
limitations/problems with previous/other HSC.
The end-users should be defined in terms of their body sizes
to ensure that the dimensions of the craft are appropriate.

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HSC Specification Process (Contd.)

The use and operating envelope of the craft should be defined
in detail so that the designer understands what solutions need
to be found, e.g. a Riverine craft will be inherently different
from a craft designed to operate in the open ocean.
Following this the crew and passenger activities must be
described to ensure that the appropriate Task Analysis can be
conducted.

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HSC Specification Process (Contd.)

The Task Analysis, which will identify issues such as
individual tasks, work sharing, team working, etc. will then
lead to the specifications of the equipment needed to support
the use of the craft.

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HSC Specification Process (Contd.)

Consideration should also be given to future user-populations,
this would take account of changes in user recruitment
profiles, e.g. the increasing computer-literacy of users to
compliment the adoption of computer-based HSC systems, and
changes in population fitness.

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HSC Specification Process (Contd.)

Also the military, and other service organizations, have
increasingly introduced women into roles traditionally held by
men.
Women on a HSC will drive significant changes in:
Anthropometric (i.e. size) accommodations (especially
with regard to functional reach).
Lift limitations (one vs. two person lifts).
Habitability (this includes morale and privacy issues).
Occupational Health (this includes addressing feminine
hygiene requirements).

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HSC Specification Process (Contd.)

The completion of the Task Analysis process will define the
manning and the personal capability requirements (e.g.
knowledge, skills and abilities) of the crew-members.
These will in-turn drive some of the requirements for the
potential automation HSC systems, and/or the level of
simplicity the systems will need for operation by the crew.

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HSC Specification Process (Contd.)

For example a HSC may be designed with minimal
automation, but this is likely to increase the capability
requirements of the crew to successfully operate the HSC
systems, and therefore reduce the size of the population from
which crew-member may be drawn/selected.

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HSC Specification Process (Contd.)

Research & Development (R&D):
Knowledge gaps are likely to have been identified at the CR
and URD phases of the Specification Process.
Therefore R&D activities should be undertaken to generate
this missing information to ensure that the designer can be
provided with a very specific design requirement.

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HSC Specification Process (Contd.)

Development work within this phase could make use of
available guidelines on incorporating human performance
modeling into the design of the HSC, establishing passenger
MIF limits, solutions to reduce crew workload and fatigue,
and reduce exposure to RS, WBV and noise.

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HSC Specification Process (Contd.)

Systems Requirement Document (SRD):
The drafting of the SRD is where the operational requirement
is turned into an objective list of information for the Designer
to use to develop the HSC.
It will include information on dimensional and weight
constraints, performance, environmental envelope, build
classification and Health & Safety requirements.
It is at this point that the HF input to the design has to be
defined wherever possible in objective/measurable terms.
Within Europe it is at this point that the requirement to comply
with WBV and noise legislation will be included.
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HSC Specification Process (Contd.)

Whereas at the CR and URD phases, ride-quality will have
been defined in terms of comfort, and ideally MSI, MII and
MIF (refer to HSC Motions, later).
The SRD will have two further applications:
Generate data that can be used by procurement and operational
stakeholders to produce the Safety Case for the operation of
the craft.

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HSC Specification Process (Contd.)

Form the basis of the Compliance Matrix against which the
design of the HSC will be assessed during the Design Reviews
and the Test & Evaluation Phase.
If possible the Designer should be involved in the drafting of
the SRD as they will be able to provide input on what
information is needed to allow them to efficiently undertake
the Feasibility Design process, see next slide, (Slide 32).

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Human Factors Input to the

HSC Specification Phase

32

An Integrated Design Process

THIS INTEGRATED PROCESS IS DESIGNED TO

ENSURE THAT HUMAN FACTORS SUPPORT IS
INCORPORATED INTO THE DESIGN OF HSC.

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An Integrated Design Process (Contd.)

Integrating The Naval Architecture and Human Factors
Design Processes:
The insertion of HF requirements into the specification
process is the catalyst to ensuring that HF issues are addressed
through the rest of the design and evaluation processes.
In HF terms it may be considered to be the most important
section of the design process as without HF insertion at this
stage it is unlikely that the project will be successful.

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An Integrated Design Process (Contd.)

Consideration should be given to consulting with Human
Factors Engineers, who ideally have experience of HSC
operations, on issues requiring additional input to the
development of design solutions.

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An Integrated Design Process (Contd.)

Nine Human Factor areas (labeled A through to I) have been
identified in order to support the integration of HF into the
HSC Design Process.
These nine HF areas are detailed in Slide 38.
They also form the basis for organizing the detailed HF
guidance notes that follow, together with additional
information for stakeholders who require more detailed
information.

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An Integrated Design Process (Contd.)

When using these nine HF areas, (see table at Slide 38) each of
the Design Process steps is considered in turn to identify the
HF considerations that are associated with the design step.
Slides 39 through to 41 detail the HF input to the Feasibility
Design, Main Design, and End Design.
HF input to each design step (where applicable) is identified
by the corresponding HF Area letter and category (e.g. A. HSC
Motions), with a further breakdown where appropriate.

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38

39

40

41

An Integrated Design Process (Contd.)

A number of additional HF activities have been introduced
into the design process.
During the Specification Phase, there may be a need to
conduct Research and Development to fully specify the HSC
performance, e.g. to collect motion and fatigue data.
Throughout each of the three design sub-processes, Design
Review activities are concerned with conducting a review of
the HSC design (including the HF contribution), appropriate to
the maturity of the design.

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An Integrated Design Process (Contd.)

Test and Evaluation follows the construction of an HSC
prototype (or First of Class), and emphasizes the link between
Design Reviews during the overall design process and the
contribution this makes to the final acceptance of the HSC by
the End-User.

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An Integrated Design Process (Contd.)

Data are available from a number of sources that can be used
to inform the User Requirement Document and System
Requirement Document (last Section) of the crafts capabilities
and specifications.
Examples of these include reports on the use of HSC used in
the offshore industry, descriptions of crew tasks for search and
rescue craft and other HF Guideline documents such as
DEFSTAN 00-25 and MILSTD 1472.

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An Integrated Design Process (Contd.)

The HF support to the HSC design process is summarized in
Slide 46 in an identical format to the original NA Design
Process (refer to Slide 7 in previous lecture) from which the
main differences can be seen.
(Contd.)
Slide 46 and Slide 38 can also serve as a checklist in their own
right, indicating at a glance which sections the Designer
should refer to for further HF guidance, indicating the HF
areas that require consideration.

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